Diversify the Cost of Young Offenders

Sunday

Apr 20, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Lawmakers have an effective eight-day deadline of to settle their differences over a new $75 billion state budget.

By LLOYD DUNKELBERGERTHE LEDGER

Lawmakers have an effective eight-day deadline of to settle their differences over a new $75 billion state budget.An agreement on April 28 will allow a budget to be printed the next day in time to meet the 72-hour cooling-off period and let the 2014 Legislature meet its scheduled adjournment on May 2.To get there, lawmakers will have to resolve a number of spending issues. Some are big, like deciding the remaining $100 million or so in tax cuts. They also must settle some major differences on school-construction-and-maintenance funding, including a $50 million difference involving charter schools.But there are many other fiscal skirmishes that lie ahead. And one of the most important to Florida counties is resolving the way local juvenile-detention facilities are funded.There have been disputes, and litigation, since 2004 when the state decided the larger counties should cover some of the costs for the Department of Juvenile Justice facilities that house young offenders.In the waning days of the 2014 session, state lawmakers may or may not settle those differences.There are essentially three options on the table, according to the Florida Association of Counties, which represents the 67 county governments in the state.One option would be to do nothing, letting the DJJ, which is under Gov. Rick Scott's control, proceed with a plan by which the counties would pay 57 percent of the annual cost. It's a better deal than the past when the counties say they have shouldered as much as 75 percent of the cost.The Senate, under a proposal (SB 1532) sponsored by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, would split the costs — 50-50 — beginning with the new fiscal year that starts July 1. It's a better deal than the governor's proposal, but the counties are lobbying for reimbursements for past overcharges.The counties like the House plan (HB 5305), sponsored by Rep. Charles McBurney, R-Jacksonville, that would split the future costs like the Senate bill but would also provide some $6 million a year in the coming years to reimburse the counties for overcharges made from 2008 through last year.Here's how the issue could play out locally:Polk County is different from many of the other counties because officials took over the juvenile-detention facilities themselves in 2011 with the argument that they could provide the services more efficiently than the state.However, Polk officials estimated they are owed some $4.8 million in overpayments that were made prior to the county's decision."It's a lot of money," Polk County Attorney Michael Craig told The Ledger in February, after writing a letter to Scott and legislative leaders urging that the county be reimbursed for the overcharges.Under the governor and Senate plans, Polk would receive no reimbursement. But under the House plan, the county would begin receiving $169,487 a year in reimbursement costs.Cragin Mosteller, a spokeswoman for the FAC, said resolving the DJJ costs in this session could end a longstanding dispute between the state and counties, while providing a more orderly way to pay for the costs of a juvenile-justice system."This is a huge deal for these counties and going forward we really have a chance to get out of a litigated billing system and focus on reform rather than payment," Mosteller said.

WINNER OF THE WEEKFlorida retailers. Florida-based companies achieved a partial victory last week when Amazon, the Internet retailing giant, announced that it would begin collecting sales taxes on purchases made in Florida next month. The tax decision is a result of Amazon building warehouses in Florida, thus establishing a legal presence in the state. Florida retailers have long maintained that Internet marketers should pay the same taxes that they do.

LOSER OF THE WEEKIn-state tuition. The move to grant in-state tuition rates to undocumented Florida students attending state universities and colleges has run into a roadblock with the announcement that Senate Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart, will not schedule the bill for a hearing in the final weeks of the session.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK"Give me Scott," Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist said to Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera during an impromptu meeting in Palm Beach County. Gov. Rick Scott's later reply: "That's laughable. Think about it. He has a primary."